Spring-hinge



(No Model.)

H. W. KETCHAM.

SPRING HINGE.

Patented Dec. 10, 1889.

www 5 wlw@ UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

HENRY \V. KETCH-IAM, QF PATCHOGUE, NE\V YORK.

sPRlNe-HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,047, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed September 12, 1889. Serial No. 323,758. (No model.) i

To all whom, it may concern:

Se it known that I, HENRY W. KETCHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Patchogue, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spring-Hinges, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention is directed to improvements in gravity-hinges; and theprecise improvement which I have made consists in arranging a spring so as to have its bearing upon and between the upper non-inclined eye or sleeve of the fixed leaf and the inclined bearing eye or sleeve of the movable or door leaf, whereby the spring is caused to'eXert a strong and quick force to facilitate the closing of the door, and whereby such position of the spring places it in the space between the inner edges of the leaves, and thereby requires no special provision for supporting the spring below the hinge, because two of the sleeveeyes form the bearings for the Spring. I use a spring of alternating short rubber sleeves and metal washers, because I find that such elastic sections have more force and give a better action than can be obtained from a single spring` of any kind; and I use the metal washers because they protect the rubber sections from the twisting and rubbing action due to the rotatory action of the movable leaf, and thus render the spring more durable.

I know that spring-hinges have been formed with spiral bearing inclines, so that the gravity of the door tends to close it7 and that such gravity action has been re-enforced by Referring to the accompanying drawings,-

Figure l represents a front view of my improved hinge, showiug it opened; Fig. 2, a rear View of the opened hinge; Fig. 3, an edge view of the closed hinge; Fig. 4, a section through the pintle, sleeves, and spring; and Figs. 5 and 6 show the two separated hingeleaves.

' sleeve of the other leaf.

inthe drawings the numerals l and 2 indicate the hinge-leaves, one of which l is adapted to be secured to the hinge-post of the door, window, or whatever part to which the hinge is applied, and the other one 2 is adapted to be secured to the hinge of the door, window, shutter, or other swinging object. The hinge-leaf 1 has an upper sleeve or eye 3, through which the pintle 4 is inserted, and a lower sleeve 5, through which the lower end of the pintle passes and which is cut to form a` vertical edge 6 at the middle of the sleeve, and a spiral incline 7, which extends around the inner side of the sleeve from the upper end of said vertical edge to the lower end of the same, so as to forni an entire twist of a screw or spiral. The hingeleaf 2 is provided with a sleeve 8, which is cut to correspond to the edge and incline of the sleeve 5 of the hinge-leaf, so as to forni a vertical edge 9 and an incline-10, which may fit and slide upon the incline 7 of the The vertical edges of the sleeves will be separated and not bear against each other when. the hinge is closed, as seen in Fig. 3. A series of alternating rubber washers or sleeves ll and metal washers 12 .are placed upon the pintle between the `upper sleeve 3 and the sleeve S, and serve to force said sleeve sleeve 5.

In practice, when the hinge is applied to a door and said door is opened, the incline 10 of the leaf upon the door will slide around and upward upon the incline 7 of the leaf upon the door-post, and the door will be raised off from the floor as it is swung out. When the door is released, it will be closed by its weight, causing the incline of the leaf upon iit to slide around and down upon the incline of the leaf upon the door-post, and the spring, which is composed of the alternating rubber and metal washers, and which has been conipressed when the hinge was opened, will assist, by its expansion, in forcing the niovable incline down and around the stationary incline. On account of the steepness of the inclines the door will be quickly closed, and as the inclines extend around the entire sleeves the hinge may be swung entirely around and will always be active. The pintle will be braced by the cutaway portions of down against the lower IOO the sleeve and will not be left unsupported at any point of the opening or closing of the hinge. By the construction of the sleeves of the hinge with the straight edges and the inclines the sleeves Will always have a good support upon each other, as one incline will bear against the other, which is advantageous over that class of hinges in which a lug or stud upon one leaf slides upon an 4incline upon the other leaf.

By employing alternating rubber sleeves and metal washers in the spring all twisting of the rubber will be prevented, as the rubber sleeves willv be compressed between -the metal Washers with little or no twisting, so that a rubber spring, which is less liable to break than a coiled-wire spring, may be employed with but slight liability to Wear.

On account of the steep inclines upon the sleeves the hinge will be of advantage in doors having either low sills or none at all, as the door will be raised a considerable distance from the floor when it is opened, and the action of the hinge will also be more positive with steep inclines.

In dividing the sleeves as stated, their vertical edges are inade to stand open when the door is closed, so that the latter will close properly in the easing, and the sleeves are thereby relieved from sudden Contact with each other in closing the door. Making the pintle-sleeves in part half parts gives the advantage of lapping' them and of dividing the spiral inclines in two parts, and this construction gives the advantage of a4 divided bearing and a better support for the vertical moving` leaf of the hinge. The divided bea-ring also gives the advantage of making the inclines with a level surface from the outside edge of the sleeve to the inside edge next t-o the pintle at every part of the surface, so as to give the twist or spiral of a screw in the bearings of both inclincs precisely alike, and an easy sliding movement of the door-leaf upon the jamb-leaf.

I claim as my improvementl. In a gravity hinge, the combination, with the fixed and movable leaf parts, each having a spirally-inclined eyed part, and their con necting-pintle, of a spring seated upon and confined between the upper eyed parts of the leaves, as shown and described.

2. In a gravity hinge, the combination, with the fixed and movable leaf parts, each havinga spirally-inelin ed eyed part, and their connecting-pintle, of a spring supported upon one eye of each part, and composed of rubber sleeves and separating metal Washers, the end washers forming the bea-rings upon the eyed parts, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

.HENRY NV. KE'ICI'IAU.

lVitnesses:

.TUsTUs Ron, J. AUsTIN Ron, 

